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Chris Thompson

Chris
Thompson
has
spent
more
than
half
his
life
in
kitchens.
At
35
years
old,
he’s
held
positions
at
two
acclaimed
restaurants
in
San
Francisco,
headed
a
new
concept
in
the
luxury
Hotel
Teatro
in
Denver,
and
is
now
showcasing
his
expertise
in
Southern
Italian
cuisine
as
executive
chef
of
[name
to
be
revealed
late
February
2016]
in
Chicago’s
thriving
Southport
Corridor
neighborhood.

Born
in
Long
Beach,
California
and
raised
in
the
resort
town
of
Telluride,
Colorado,
Thompson’s
his
first
job
was
as
a
short
order
cook
at
a
lodge.
The
position
allowed
him
to
snowboard
during
the
day,
a
priority
for
an
outdoorsy
17-­‐year-­‐old,
but
he
says
the
controlled
chaos
of
the
job
is
what
really
drew
him
in.

With
a
few
prep
cook
positions
under
his
belt,
Thompson
went
on
to
his
first
opportunity
in
fine
dining
at
Telluride’s
Rustico
Ristorante.
He
quickly
found
his
niche
at
the
Northern
Italian
eatery
and
began
exploring
charcuterie.

“The
mother
of
one
of
my
Italian
chefs
would
ship
special
salumi
seasonings
every
month,”
says
Thompson.
“We
had
no
idea
what
to
do
with
them
so
we
started
experimenting
since
we
didn’t
have
any
recipes
to
follow.”
It
soon
became
apparent
that
he
excelled
at
this
craft.

While
living
in
Telluride,
Thompson
further
honed
his
skills
working
at
several
Alchemy
Concepts
restaurants,
apprenticing
under
chef
Jake
Linzinmeir
beginning
in
2001
and
being
promoted
to
chef
de
cuisine
of
Excelsior
Café
in
2005.
There,
Thompson
became
known
for
his
seasonally-­‐driven
menus
and
creativity
with
Italian
and
French-­‐inspired
food.

Motivated
by
the
abundance
of
influential
chefs
in
the
Bay
Area,
Thompson
moved
to
San
Francisco
in
2008
and
spent
three
years
at
Spruce,
a
high-­‐end
restaurant
in
Presidio
Heights
known
for
its
excellent
charcuterie.
In
2011
he
was
tapped
to
head
A16’s
charcuterie
program,
a
role
that
allowed
him
to
build
on
his
knowledge
of
Italy’s
Campania
region.
A
year
later
he
was
promoted
to
executive
chef
but
also
retained
the
title
of
salumaio
to
oversee
A16’s
entire
butchery
and
charcuterie
program.
Following
his
time
in
San
Francisco,
Thompson
moved
back
to
Colorado
to
open
The
Nickel,
a
Rocky
Mountain
heritage-­‐inspired
restaurant
in
Denver.

Thompson
has
always
admired
Chicago’s
culinary
scene
and
is
happy
to
call
the
lakefront
city
his
new
home.
“My
hope
is
that
I
can
complement
the
outstanding
chefs
who’ve
paved
the
way
with
Italian
cuisine
and
leave
my
own
mark,”
Thompson
says.

Having
traveled
extensively
throughout
Italy,
including
a
recent
3-­‐month
visit,
Thompson
is
well
versed
in
authentic
Italian
ingredients
and
processes
and
earned
his
VPN
certification
in
Naples.

“Not
many
chefs
in
Chicago
specialize
in
a
particular
region
of
Italy.
I’m
excited
to
bring
the
true
culinary
identity
of
Southern
Italy
to
the
Midwest
with
wood-­‐fired
Neapolitan
pizza,
scratch-­‐made
pasta
and
a
full-­‐fledged
charcuterie
program.”

When
he
isn’t
in
the
kitchen,
Thompson
enjoys
being
on
the
water
–
whether
that’s
spending
time
near
the
ocean
on
the
Pacific
Coast
or
chartering
a
boat
to
fish
in
Lake
Michigan
–
and
hosting
dinner
parties
for
his
toughest
critics:
his
friends....